Chasing History

As of the time of this blog, Barry Bonds is one home run away from tying Hank Aaron and two away from becoming the all-time king, only the third in Major League Baseball’s rich history. Ruth: 714. Aaron: 755. Bonds: ? Alex Rodriguez may be the only current player who can make a run at whatever number Bonds ends up with. Barry is hated by many people, but I love him. He has inspired me to look at our unbelievable weather statistics. As Barry Bonds chases history, the summer weather in North Texas continues to chase history as well.

Today is the 39th day this year in the 90s. By this point last year, we already had 76! In 2006, we were up to 15 triple digit days. That has still not happened once this year and will NOT happen before August begins. With that in mind, we are enjoying an incredibly rare summer. Check out these numbers:

The last time there were no 100 degree days in the entire month of July in North Texas: 1992.

July 2006 had 15 triple digit days and we ended up with 43 for the year.

July 2004 had 1 triple digit day and that was the only one for the entire year. Not coincidentally, that summer was the wettest ever. June, July and August had almost 19 inches of rain.

Then there’s 1980. All 31 days in July hit at least 100 and the entire year holds a record 69 triple digit days.

The last time and entire year stayed below 100 degrees: 1906 and 1973.

The average number of 100 degree days each year at DFW Airport: 16. Most of those, 7, come in August, on average.

The latest FIRST 100 degree day: August 23rd. That happened back in 1989.

The latest LAST 100 degree day: October 3rd. That happened back in 1951.

We all know that there’s plenty of summer left, even after summer is over. As a runner, I can tell you this summer has been wonderful. Aside from the flooding which is never good, the clouds and rain have kept our temperature low – The highest so far this year: 98 degrees. And the humidity has not been oppressive like back in 2004. Not bad for outdoor activities. But will it last?